Sinks have a variety of sizes and environmental uses ranging from personal kitchens to large or industrial operations such as restaurants or laboratories. Many sinks are outfitted with a strainer or other kind of filter provided at or proximate to the sink drain. These strainers permit passage of liquid from the sink basin to the sink drain while capturing solid material, such as waste, within the strainer. In its most basic application, a typical strainer would have slits or openings sufficiently sized to permit the passage of liquid while blocking passage of waste material too large to pass through the slits or openings. Some known strainers, particularly those commonly found in household kitchen sinks, include a basket positioned within a portion of the sink drain, and the basket has a plurality of openings as well as a solid knob or handle protruding from the basket. A user of the sink may pull the knob away from the drain thereby removing the basket and its collected waste. The top of the knob is typically below, or possibly flush with, the top end of the basket so as to permit objects such as pots or pans to be placed on top of the inserted strainer without contacting the knob. Should the basket accumulate excessive waste, the liquid may no longer be able to pass through strainer, which in turn may cause the sink basin to unintentionally fill with liquid.
Strainers are not limited to use with sinks, and strainers be found in a variety of drains such as shower flooring. For example, strainers are also useful for collection of hair, or pet hair, which frequently clog shower or bath drains after use. In the prior art, typical strainers do not contain a central tower having openings, or a tower that extends above the lip of the flange, to provide a strainer that resists clogging.